δή

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "de"

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

δαί (daí) — after interrogatives, to express wonder or curiosity

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *dḗ, from Proto-Indo-European *de (“instrumental particle”).^[1] See also δέ (dé).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /dɛ̌ː/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /de̝/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ði/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ði/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ði/

Particle

δή • (dḗ) (discourse particle)

Adds temporal specificity: now, already
Adds emphasis: truly, !, indeed, in truth
Adds specificity: exactly
Sometimes ironical: no doubt, of course
With pronouns: of all people

Usage notes

δή (dḗ) is a post-positive word, meaning that it will usually (but not always) be the second word in a clause.

Conjunction

δή • (dḗ)

but, and

Descendants

→ Classical Syriac: ܕܝܢ
→ Coptic: ⲇⲉ (de)
→ Macedonian: де (de)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “δή”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 322

Further reading

“δή”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“δή”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
δή in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
“δή”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
δή in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
δή in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
“δή”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
G1211 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- ay idem, page 57.
- ever idem, page 285.
- indeed idem, page 431.
- pray idem, page 632.
- surely idem, page 842.
- truly idem, page 898.
- yes idem, page 996.

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